Cutting boards are well known and come in many forms. Some are simple rectangular boards made of wood or plastic; others have handles or form various shapes. Some are made thick for chopping while others are made thin for slicing and dicing. Some include extendible wings that mount the board over a sink. In any case, however, all cutting boards have a flat cutting surface that can be used as a substitute for a counter top or other finished surface so that it is not cut or scraped when cooking.
Many cutting boards have two opposite cutting surfaces. Ordinarily the cutting surface being used faces up and the other cutting surface faces down. Each cutting surface can be used by flipping the board over. Conventional cutting boards have the non-used surface lay flat against the counter. However, this can introduce contaminants onto the lower cutting surface. For example, fluids from a piece of meat being trimmed could migrate to the counter and be picked up by the other cutting surface when it contacts the counter. This is undesirable for several reasons, for example, it can transfer bacteria to this surface, make it messy and change the color or flavor of another food item cut on this surface.
To overcome this problem, many cutting boards have footings on one or both of the cutting surfaces to elevate one or both of the surfaces from the counter. The footings can take any number of forms. For example, for one-sided cutting boards the footings can be wooden blocks (contoured for appearance) screwed into the bottom of the board at the corners. Or, the footings could be low-profile plastic disks adhered to the corners of the board on one or both cutting surfaces.
One problem with such conventional footed cutting boards is keeping the footings attached to the board. The adhesive can break-down and lose its grip when soaked or cleaned in a dishwasher causing one or more of the footings to fall off thereby leaving the board unstable. Another more significant problem for cutting boards with footings on the cutting surface is the build-up of food particles in the crevices around the footings that is difficult if not impossible to clean. This is not only unsightly and unappetizing, but it can also be unsanitary in that bacteria can reside in and spread from these areas.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 416,768 shows a recent example of a plastic cutting board with two opposite cutting surfaces and raised feet that extend beyond the plane of the cutting surfaces so as to elevate these surfaces during use. The elastomeric feet slip over corners of the board that are recessed in from both sides and which taper inwardly in thickness and form grooves which receive raised ribs on the inner surface of the feet. A circular recess is also formed in each recessed surface of the corner of the board that receives a small projection molded on each inner side of the foot. The feet are molded of a flexible material (such as sanoprene) so that they flex outward to disengage from the board. However, if the feet are pinched against the board while trying to remove them, they are difficult to remove, since pinching them clamps the ribs and projections into the grooves and recesses.
This cutting board addresses many of the above mentioned problems with conventional boards. In particular, it provides a stable cutting board in which both cutting surfaces are spaced from the support surface by the raised corners. It also provides a tongue and groove type connection to help secure the corners to the board while allowing them to be removed for cleaning. However, this board still has disadvantages in that food material can easily get caught in the recessed grooves for securing the corners, thus requiring more frequent cleaning to avoid unsanitary conditions. Also, since the corners must flex outwardly to be removed from the board, they tend to widen and otherwise deform in a way that loosens the connection of the corners to the board, thus leaving them more susceptible to inadvertent disassembly.
Accordingly, a cutting board with an improved footing system is needed.